Jon Tuck steps foot in the Octagon once again at UFC Fight Night Lincoln, facing Drew Dober in a lightweight division attraction.
The lightweight contender hasn’t been seen since June of 2017, but his lack of Octagon appearances weren’t what the fighter was looking for.
“Man, just getting a fight, I was trying to get a fight after I fought (Takanori) Gomi. I think Sage Northcutt needed an opponent for UFC Anaheim and right after I fought Gomi and beat him, that’s when I heard that he needed an opponent. I don’t know, there was like three to four weeks left and I guess it wasn’t…they didn’t accept the fight or they turned down the fight maybe because of the style didn’t matchup. For their favor. In between that…just training hard and I was trying to get a fight around November/December time, but nothing came through. Then I have just been helping my training partners get ready for their fights, I have just been staying active outside of that. I got my knee cleaned up a bit and that took me down for a few months after that, I was trying to get a fight earlier this year, but nothing came through. I was willing to be a last minute opponent and everything like that, even at 170. Nothing came through and I have just been basically helping all the other teammates get ready for theirs,” says Tuck in an exclusive interview with Fightful’s James Lynch.
Tuck sits at a 4-4-0 record in the UFC right now, meaning the bout at UFC Fight Night Lincoln could go a long way in determining his future in the promotion.
Now that Tuck is back in action for the first time in quite a while, one thing the fighter is looking for is the submission finish.
“I’m just looking for the finish, you know? Getting in there, its going to be a scrap…gritty. (I’m looking to) get one submission, but I won’t tell you what (one). I’m definitely going for a submission and I’m sure he’s training hard to defend it, I’ve just been working hard over here to make sure everything goes as planned,” says Tuck.
UFC Fight Night Lincoln takes place on Saturday, August 25 from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska with Justin Gaethje and James Vick headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on Fox Sports 1.
